Get it Right
by Kelsbury
Summary: When Rose and Scorpius meet for the First time, Expectations are made of them, Questions are asked and Comfort is given, people are kept in the Dark and Warnings are given out.


**A is for Apples**

He first caught the scent of her hair when she literally skipped past him in the first week of first year, a smile on her face, a hand on the strap of her book bag and a bright pink hair tie in her uncontrollable mass of curls. Her hair practically whopped him in the face and he couldn't help but inhale the apple smell that permitted from the red curls. Before he had time to apprehend who exactly it was that has just gone by, she had disappeared around the corner, a hum on her lips.

Apples, he thought absently as his long fingers rubbed the back of his neck. Her hair smelled like apples.

It wasn't until two days later, when they were sat next to each other in the usual Gryffindor/Slytherin potions class that he smelled it again, drifting tantalisingly towards him and he was able to put a name with the smell – Rose Weasley.

**B is for Bed**

"Come on, Scorpius, I don't want to go to bed," Rose mumbled as she leaned over the desk in their study, her eyes focused on the parchment before her, but he knew that she wasn't really seeing it – the words will be moving about the page like caterpillars now, if he remembered her description of dyslexia correctly.

"Tough." He said, moving further into the room, kneeling down next to her, his hand reaching up to brush back her hair and kiss her shoulder lightly through her work shirt. "You're exhausted, love. You won't get your work finished at all at this rate, and the people at the hospital depend on you to be good and alert when they look for you to heal them, and you can't do that if you can barely keep your eyes open. Come on, the report will still be there in the morning." He managed to coax a sound of agreement out of her and he smiled at her response – she was too tired to even say anything. She mumbled incoherently again, the quill slipping from her fingers and her eyelids dropping over her blue eyes and Scorpius chuckled, easily lifting her into his arms and carrying her through to their bedroom. The clock on the wall chimed twice and Scorpius groaned as he thought of the five hour sleep he would have, then felt his heart sink slightly at the three hour sleep Rosie would have, as she was on a freakishly early shift that morning.

Quickly, he changed her, not at all embarrassed or shy (they had been together for five years now) and brought the sheet over her body, tucking her in like she was eight years old again before he climbed in behind her, hooking his arm around her waist, pulling her back to his chest, and she snuggled further into him. He dropped a kiss to her hair and smiled, his heart flying at the thought of her, in their bed. Together. And he drifted to sleep with the love of his life beside him.

**C is for ****Comfort**

She wasn't stupid, she thought angrily as she stormed her way through the castle, she knew that Matthew Thomas was no good…So why, oh why did she go out with that pathetic loser?

To make Scorpius jealous…A traitorous voice whispered in her mind and she angrily cursed it, feeling the tears pool in her eyes. She had just been on prefect rounds, covering for Albus who wasn't feeling too good (She herself wasn't a prefect, much to the horror of her mother; her bad grades stopped her from getting that title) and had heard someone, well two people, making out in a broom cupboard. So, having temporarily been given power, she felt that it was her duty to tell them to go back to their dorms when she realised who it was. Matthew Thomas had Ellie Cartwright shoved up against the wall, her top unbuttoned, his belt around her wrists over her head and he was shirtless. She felt sick at the sight and nearly tripped over her own feet, trying to get away, hoping that the image wouldn't burn in her memory for the rest of her life she ran as quick as her feet would take her and she ran smack bang into a warm, solid body.

"Woah, Rose where's the stampeding Hippogrif– hey, what's up?" Scorpius asked worriedly, automatically rubbing her arm through the material of her robes. In that moment, she felt secure and she wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her head in his chest, her shoulders heaving with sobs and he held her, his hand stroking her hair as he shushed her, rocking her backwards and forewords as best as he could. "Come on, Rosie, what's happened? Are you hurt? Do I need to end someone's life?" He asked, his hands moving up and down her arms and back, trying to find an injury or wound that would explain her tears.

She always felt better, she mused as she snuggled closer to him, his scent powerful and overwhelming almost, whenever he was around.

Even if sometimes, he was the one who was making her cry, which he had done many a time, he always knew what to say and how to say it to just lift her spirits and make her smile. When she told him the story, his jaw clenched and a muscle jumped as he tried to contain his anger, but he stayed with her. Comforted her.

And then, the next day when Matthew Thomas walked into the Great Hall with an un-healable black eye and a loose tooth, she had never felt more grateful for Scorpius.

**D is for Dark**

It was strange, he thought, how when one sense shuts down, the others work overtime to make up for it. He now noticed little things about Rose that he had known before, but never really appreciated. Like, the smooth feel of the skin over her stomach and the texture of her crazy red curls, or just how good she tasted…Everywhere, the sound of her feet across the softly carpeted floor or the smell of her perfume, flowery and reminded him instantly of summer.

Thanks to his job as an auror, he was used to receiving injuries and being laid up in bed for a while, but living without his sight, even if it was just for a few weeks, had changed his whole perceptive of life.

He didn't know where the things in his flat lay and when he tried to picture it in his minds eyes, it was fuzzy and cloudy, like he was looking at it through a crystal orb. He needed Rose a lot of the time to guide him around and he felt useless – what if somebody broke in and tried to attack them? He'd be of no use what-so-ever seeing as how he couldn't physically see anybody. Except Rose. She was the only thing that came up crystal clear when he imagined it, but he knew that it didn't compare to the real thing and he couldn't wait to see her again.

**E is for Expectations**

When Rose Weasley came to Hogwarts, everyone expected her to be the spitting image of her mother, in both looks and smarts, and they were half right. She really did look like her mother – she had the same curly, bushy hair (although, hers was the famous Weasley red), the same button nose, same bone structure, same shaped eyes (Again, Rose's were a different colour – she had inherited the cerulean blue off her father), and same body shape. However, the smarts of Hermione Weasley had not been passed onto her daughter – instead, Hugo boasted the intellect that Rose lacked.

Not to say that Rose was stupid, not at all, but being dyslexic made it hard to read and while she had loved having stories read to her as a child when it came to actually reading them herself, she got frustrated and stressed and she just gave in. It was the same, pretty much, for her education.

She had tried in her first year, Merlin she really tried, but the questions sometimes didn't make sense and the words moved like caterpillars across the page in a text book if she stared at it hard enough and the continuous 'Acceptable' on her papers and test were enough to make her go mad, despite all her hard work she still couldn't win.

So she stopped trying. Hugo came to Hogwarts, got sorted into Ravenclaw and became the new smartest student to pass through these halls since their mother, and for once Rose didn't seem to mind.

Now, she got 'Poor' on her papers and tests and she always felt like she let her family down, but there was nothing she could do about it. She couldn't read very well, but the teachers didn't seem to take this into account.

Scorpius Malfoy was the spitting image of his father that, despite the obvious age and height difference, they could have been twins. When he arrived at Hogwarts, the name Malfoy sent a ripple of chatter through everyone as they all assumed that he would be cold, uninviting, evil, like his father and the Malfoy's before him.

So he did.

He didn't become evil, because he really wasn't – like his father, he lacked that spark and had way too much of a conscience to became truly evil (plus, he didn't really want to be evil), but he did become cold. He didn't have many friends, because nobody wanted to be the friend of death eater spawn, but, because of his good looks, inherited of course, he became somewhat of a ladies man, and definitely one that all the girls wanted.

Except Rose Weasley of course.

When he had first found out that she was getting 'Poor's on her exams, he was extremely confused – Rose was insanely clever. Whenever they had an argument (Which was pretty much all the time) she always had a witty retort ready to throw back in his face and he relished that for that moment, all of her attention was on him, and him alone. He knew that she knew the answers, because when he had once asked her why they needed to move their wand in a figure eight motion for the _Geminio_ charm, she had answered him, in detail without even thinking about it. She knew it, but it just seemed like she couldn't write it down into words.

So, uncharacteristically, he helped her. Sat down with her and listened to her fire answers at him, then he told her to write it down, without looking at the question. When she was in doubt, he read it aloud to her and he discovered that she could read better on different shades of parchment and he patiently sat with her, tapping the sheet before them, watching as it changed colours until she found a shade that was perfect for her. Together, they wrote to the exam board and they said that yes, she could change the colour of the parchment. Green was her colour of choice and he couldn't help but smirk just a tiny bit.

For her O.W.L's, with Scorpius' help, she got nine 'Exceeds Expectations' and one 'Outstanding' – uncharacteristically, they grew closer. Uncharacteristically, for a Malfoy and a Weasley, they grew closer and became best friends. And when they were 17, every expectation of them was thrown out the window.

As a Weasley, she was expected to settle down and marry a nice young man, possibly one of the Scamander twins. As a Malfoy, he was expected to marry a pure-blood, aristocratic witch. Instead, she fell for a condescending prat and he fell for a half-blood. They fell in love.

**F is for First Time**

The first time he saw her on Platform 9 ¾ he had stared at her bushy red hair, Hogwarts robes already on and a bright smile on her face as she said goodbye to her family, sad to be leaving, but excited to start this adventure.

The first time she spoke to him it was tentatively and shy – "Excuse me, _do you mind if I sit here?" -_ quiet and mousy and he had to strain to hear her voice – he loved the sound of it, even at eleven years old.

The first time they became friends was in their fourth year, when he saw her in the library one day, brow furrowed as she tried to read the words on the page in front of her. He felt sorry for her, and sat beside her, noticing the black 'P' scrawled across the top of the page in McGonagall's spiky writing.

The first time he heard her laugh at one of his jokes his insides did a funny little squirm and he felt his face flush slightly and his heart jumped in his chest.

The first time she held his hand, dragging him excitedly to a new room she had found, he felt electric jump up his arm and fizzle in his heart at her touch and a grin touched his lips.

The first time he saw her with another boy he felt pure anger settle in his stomach and Albus had to bodily drag him away to stop him hexing the boy who held Rose's hand and whispered in her ear.

The first time he realised that he fancied her enough to ask her out, fear clutched his heart in a iron grip and he kept his crush on her a secret for a whole year – he was so afraid of her rejection, of saying something to her to make her never want to speak to him again that he tended to keep his mouth shut.

Their first argument, when they were still little first years, was explosive. She insulted him, he insulted her back and eventually, they had culminated in a screaming match offending not only each other, but their families as well. It had ended with both of them soaked through to the bone, Peeves laughing madly at the broken chandelier and a detention for both of them.

Their first date was slightly awkward and timid, as they had known each other for seven years and had been to Hogsmeade many times but this…This was totally different. They didn't know how to switch into boyfriend and girlfriend mode but eventually, after an eventful dinner at the Three broomsticks (with him getting threatened Albus, Hugo and Lily) and eating a bag of Bertie Botts every flavoured beans, in which they had to guess the flavour, a visit to Weasley Wizard Wheezes, which had taken over from Zonko's (and again, he was threatened by her uncle George and Fred and James, who know worked as apprentices in the store) and a trip to the shrieking shack, they had gotten comfortable and they walked back to the castle, through the snow, with their arms around each other and smiles on their faces.

Their first kiss was electrifying – just a simple brush of lips, but it steadily turned deeper and his hand cradled her jaw, coaxing her head higher for better access for the both of them as her fingers slid through his silky, silver hair. When they broke apart he rested his forehead against hers and gasped for breath, his gun metal grey eyes open so all he could see was her…

The first time he realised he was in love with Rose Weasley, he knew he would never let her go.

The first time they made love, she breathed his name with so much love and tenderness that he felt his eyes well up a bit with unexpected tears and he held her so close that he was a little afraid he would hurt her. She was so beautiful. So gorgeous. And she was his.

**G is for Greatness**

"Scorpius! Scorpius, wake up!" Scorpius was cruelly dragged from his lovely dream of himself winning the world cup by his fiancée shoving his shoulder repeatedly, until he turned over to face her, lifting his forearm to cover his eyes as he looked at her. The champagne coloured sheets were clutched to her chest, hiding her torso from his view but exposing her bare back to him, her red curls mussed up, cascading over her shoulder as she looked at something small in her hands, her purple nails tapping against it, a wide smile on her gorgeous face as her blue eyes sparkled with happiness. It was a vision to wake up next to this every morning, he thought happily as he slowly sat up, resting on his elbow as he rubbed her eyes from sleep.

"What is it, Rose?" He asked sleepily, only to have something shoved in his face so close that the words were very bleary.

He laughed lightly, his voice deep and husky from having just woken up and he wrapped his long fingers around her wrist, gently moving it back so that the object came into focus.

_Rose Weasley_

_12 November 2006_

_Healer_

_Rose Weasley, daughter of Ron and Hermione Weasley, was one of the Healer's at St. Mungo's who, through hard work and dedication, created the Lupi Notuum potion, which enables werewolves to reverse the effects of the curse. She has also set up the 'Have a Heart' foundation, which is available to all people effected by the curse who cannot afford the potion, who will be given the Wolfsbane potion for free and counselling for those who need it. _

_Because of her contribution to society, Rose was awarded an Order of Merlin, First Class. _

Scorpius blinked at the card for a few moments before he extracted it from Rose's hand and turned it over to see a picture of Rose smiling at him and her name in silver writing. It was a chocolate frog card.

Before he could comprehend what he was seeing, another chocolate frog card was shown to him, only this time it was his picture that he was seeing and his name written in silver.

"Rosie, what-?"

"Read it!" She said, her blue eyes sparkling with happiness as Scorpius turned the card over, and read what his own had to say.

_Scorpius Malfoy_

_31 October 2006_

_Head Auror_

_Because of Scorpius' selflessness and instinct, twenty-seven Muggle's were saved from a Dark Wizard, Keres, who wished to carry on from Lord Voldemort's regime. Scorpius and his team of Auror's apprehended Keres and saved the Muggle community threatened by the oppressor. _

_Scorpius will be awarded an Order of Merlin, first class on 16__th__ December 2033_

"Scorpius, isn't this amazing?" Rose said happily, her hands grasping her own card as Scorpius was still trying to make sense of the words. He was getting an Order of Merlin?

"How did you get these?" Scorpius asked, running a hand through his blonde hair.

Rose bounced slightly where she was kneeled beside him and let the sheets drop. Before he could really appreciate what he was seeing, her golden dressing gown was wrapped around her body and she was covered from his view once again. "The Ministry sent them a few minutes ago, for us to make sure it's all correct. The only thing is that they come out in Winter and I'll be Rose Malfoy by then…Oh, Scorpius, we're on Chocolate Frog Cards! And you're getting an Order of Merlin! Oh this is great, fabulous, amazing –"

Scorpius cut her off by pressing his lips to hers, overwhelmed by the great news he had just received, although it was a rather unorthodox way to send it. He pulled her close and rolled them, so that she was underneath him, her hands threading through his hair as her leg hooked around his waist.

He couldn't believe it, that his life had turned out so great. He was on a chocolate frog card, something that he had been collecting his whole life, he had a great job and was getting married to a beautiful woman.

As he slowly pulled the tie around her waist, he peppered little kisses down her neck and across her jaw, he let his thoughts stray to them and their future and the greatness that the rest of their lives would hold.

**H is for Hugs**

There was something about hugs that Rose had always valued. In her mind, each hug from a different person symbolised something different. Her mother's hugs symbolised warmth and made her feel loved, while her father's let her know that she was safe and protected. Her brother's hugs were far and few between, but they showed her that, while they got on each other's nerves, he would always be there.

James' hugs made her feel like laughing and Lily's told her that she was always there for a girly chat. Albus' hugs made her feel like a part of something, like she belonged and that she was accepted. Her hugs from her Grandmum Weasley made her feel like she was home, where she belonged.

But Scorpius didn't hug her anymore. Not since their fifth year. During the times when he did hug her, she felt confused – she could never pin-point what his hugs meant. Was it just friendship? Or something more?

She had always hoped that it was something more.

And then, after fifth year, she got her answer.

Scorpius Malfoy never hugged her. No, he always held her. And to Rose, there was a big difference between someone hugging you and someone holding you. When Scorpius held her, it symbolised everything. Love, protection, laughter, friendship, acceptance, home. It took her back to her childhood, when she would be held by her parents and know that nothing would happen to her. Because she had family.

And she was being held.

**I is for Imagine**

"_I love you, Rose." Scorpius whispered to her, pressing his lips to her porcelain skin gently, brushing her red hair behind her ear. "So much." _

"_I love you, too." She replied, her blue eyes sparkling with obvious love and he knew that she meant it. Those words meant so much to him and he felt his heart swell. He needed her in his life, permanently._

"_Marry me?" He asked, feeling his heart speed up as he awaited her answer, hoping that it would be a yes and not a no, because if she walked away now he wouldn't come back from it. _

"_You don't have to ask me, Scorpius. You know my answer." She breathed, her hands cupping his jaw as she pulled him closer, her lips, so smooth and perfect, enclosed on his own and he felt like he couldn't take a breath, like he did every time she kissed him…_

"Scorpius!" He was suddenly pulled to the here and now and his head jerked up, instinctively looking for the voice that had roused him from his daydream and was a bit surprised to see Rose stood there, her hands on her lips, her eyes accusing and her hair hastily tied into a messy ponytail. "What are you doing?"

He looked down at the work on his table to see Professor Longbottom's Essay on Mandrake's and their usefulness in potion making in front of him and a few dozen textbooks that he couldn't even remember getting.

"Err…Work?" He said absent-mindedly and grabbed his quill from where it had fallen on the floor, trying to ignore that his skin felt quite warm. He had let his imagination run away from him again, and it had gone where it always went. Him, Rose and nobody else.

"I can see that." She said, a small smile on her face as she took the seat opposite him, dropping her own textbook on the desk. "Herbology or Charms?"

Scorpius looked at her, his brow raised for a moment before her words caught up with him and he groaned in annoyance. He didn't realise that they had a Charms essay as well.

She laughed at him, her chuckle making his heart squirm a little bit and he looked at her through his lashes and pretended that she was his girlfriend, laughing with him because she felt at ease. He imagined that she'd sit in the seat next to him and place her delicate hand on his thigh as he kissed her temple and threw his arm around her shoulders.

But she wasn't his. And all he could was imagine.

**J is for**** Jumper**

Molly Weasley sat back and looked at the knitted jumpers around her, quickly documenting each one in her mind as she flicked her wand and they soared into piles of each "sub-family" as she liked to call them and the wrapping paper leaning against the wall soared through the air and wrapped each jumper individually.

The hardest part about all of this was trying to find new colours for each new member of the family as it seemed that every year she was making a new one. She didn't make a Weasley jumper for just anybody – they had to have been a member long before she made them a jumper. Take Hermione, for example; Molly didn't make Hermione a Weasley jumper until she and Ron were engaged.

This year was no different, she thought as she watched Lucy's bright yellow jumper get engulfed in green wrapping paper, and she reached for the grey ball of thread that was beside her and her worn pair of knitting needles that had knitted over a thousand jumpers for her family. They were customary and she knew that, while her children may complain about them, they never threw them out.

00000

Because all of her children had their own families, they didn't come around on Christmas day and spent it with their spouses and children instead, so Molly and Arthur used Christmas day as an excuse to not do anything at all and to instead, stay curled up on the couch, listening to the wireless and exchanging presents.

It was Boxing Day that became hectic. Before, if she thought that having ten people in the burrow was a lot, she should have really thought about what would happen in the future, when the Weasley family expanded, which it had done by 35 people. And, with the recent birth of Andromeda, courtesy of Teddy and Victoire, Molly and Arthur were now Great Grand-parents, something that she adored, especially because Louis' wife was pregnant and another little one was expected in February.

When her family started to trickle in at around dinner time on the 26th, Molly found herself pleased when she saw that everyone was wearing their Weasley jumpers – [except for Ginny, Harry, James, Albus and Lily, who technically had 'Potter jumpers'] the thought that they were only wearing them to appease her didn't cross her mind because she knew that it wasn't true.

Rose and Scorpius were the last to arrive at the burrow, to the annoyance of Ron who kept cursing the 'Malfoy boy' under his breath, and Molly almost let out a squeal of happiness at seeing the knitted grey jumper on Scorpius' body, his initial in white on the front. Rose was stood beside him, fingers intertwined as she pulled on the material of her own baby-blue jumper, and Molly couldn't help the smile on her face as she took in the new member of her family: Scorpius Malfoy had been accepted into the Weasley clan – the Weasley jumper made it official.

**K is for Kiss**

It was freezing cold and Rose was bundled up in her coat, blue hat pulled down over her ears with her Gryffindor scarf wrapped around her neck in a vain attempt to starve off the cold that seemed intent to set into her bones. She sighed, watching as her breath curled like smoke and carried on down the grounds, heading for the Black Lake where she was meeting her boyfriend.

She shivered and pulled her coat tighter around her, trying to ignore the cold as she caught the back of her boyfriend's blonde hair and she smiled, an instinctual reaction that she had whenever she saw him – pretty much since they were in fourth year. She dared her hands to risk the ice cold and took them from her pockets, bringing her arms around his waist from behind and settling her cheek on the back of his shoulder. She heard him laugh and he turned in her grasp, his own arms looping over her shoulders.

"Hey." She said, moving her head back so her blue eyes looked into his grey ones. She shivered again, violently this time and Scorpius tightened his grip.

"Why are you cold?" He asked, his grey eyes shining with concern.

"Aren't you aware of how cold it is? Scorpius it's freezing!" She said and huddled closer to him. She could feel the vibrations of his chuckle through his chest and his hands, which were so amazingly warm, cupped her face and gently moved it backwards to look at her, his eyes shining with mirth, his lips pulled up in amusement.

"Silly Rose. Are you a witch or not?" He asked, reaching for his wand and waving it by her temple and she instantly felt her skin warm. She smiled gratefully and leant into his palm as he stowed his wand back away and he leaned foreword, pressing his lips gently to her forehead, his fingers tangling gently with the red curls.

Rose frowned lightly, as something Lily had told her earlier this week came to the forefront of her mind something about what every kiss meant…

A kiss on the forehead; _I hope we're together forever_

Rose gasped lightly to herself and Scorpius looked at her in confusion; Rose knew that there was no reason to put any stock in girly things such as what each kiss meant, but she couldn't help it as her heart raced and butterflies erupted in her stomach.

Scorpius chuckled again and kissed her cheek lightly…What did that one mean?

A kiss on the cheek; _we're friend's_

He sprinkled kisses across her face and each meaning came in her mind, as if her Uncle George had set off fireworks to spell it out for her and she couldn't help put smile at each meaning.

A kiss on the ear; _you're my everything_

A kiss on the neck; _I adore you_

A kiss on the shoulder; _I want you_

A kiss on the lips…_I love you_

**L is for Leaving**

The constant beep that Rose could hear was pulling her awake, dragging her from the tendrils of sleep and she slowly opened her eyes, surprised to see that the room she was in was a bright shade of white that made her close her eyes quickly in response and groan involuntarily.

Almost instantly, the lights were extinguished and it became blessedly dark and she breathed a sigh of relief, daring to open her eyes again – she was surprised to find out that she was in the room by herself. Who had turned out the lights?

_You did, Rose. With your magic…_

Rose attempted to shake her head, but the tube connected to her face by medical spell-o-tape was making it hard for her to do so. Slowly, with shaking hands she reached for the tube to rip it off, but gasped softly at the sight of her hands – they were old. Wrinkly. Painful. She felt a tear slide down her face as sudden pain flared up in her joints and she whimpered slightly.

"Rose? Merlin, Rose!" The door which had opened moments before was closed harshly, loud and heavy steps echoed off the stone wall and suddenly, there was someone there and she felt like she could breathe.

"Wha-?" She couldn't get past that word and she gagged involuntarily – what on Earth was happening to her?

"Shhh…It's okay, Rosie, don't waste your energy, love…" Rose looked at who was speaking and felt a flash of familiarity, but she couldn't place the face hovering in front of her, his own eyes, grey like the sky before a storm, were wet with tears as well and she watched as one followed a path down his old, withered cheek.

"Do I…know…?" She couldn't get the question out, but he seemed to understand the gist of it – he closed his eyes tightly, as if he was in deep pain and a sob tore from his throat. She didn't know what possessed her to try, but she felt that she had to reach out to this man who was here for her so that she wasn't alone. She lifted her arm, ignoring the other wires and instantaneous flash of pain as she cupped his cheek.

He pressed his face into it immediately, his one hand coming up to cradle hers, nuzzling her soft palm lightly before pressing his lips to her fingertips and she could feel his tears. "You could say that." He smiled, but Rose could see that it was forced. It was one of the only things that she could see, darkness was creeping into the edges of her vision. "I'm Scorpius Malfoy."

"Scorpius?" She was amazed that she could say his name with no trouble and, even more, that it rolled off her tongue easily like she'd said it a million times before.

"Yeah. And you're Rose." He closed his eyes again briefly before he placed his hand gently on Rose's cheek, rubbing his thumb lightly over the skin. "Rose Malfoy. We've been married for over eighty years. We have three children and five grand-children." His voice broke at the end and Rose frowned – she really couldn't place him…Or anyone really it seemed as if her life was an empty shell. "I love you," more tears spilled at this proclamation, but he really didn't care.

Rose felt it. In her heart she felt love, but she wasn't sure if it was directed at him or anybody else and she was confused. So confused. Why was she here? What had happened to her? Did she have family? Was she happy? Did she have a good life? Was she incredibly old?

It felt like the walls were closing in on her and she felt her heart race and she was unable to take a breath. Her arms felt heavy and her arm, the one that she had lifted to touch his cheek, fell to the mattress beneath her as her body strained for some air. He was shouting, screaming, begging for help and for her to stay but she could feel it….She was leaving.

Suddenly, she could breath – the rubber band that had been tight around her chest was suddenly gone and she laughed – A good, honest laugh that she hadn't managed to get out for month now. She looked down at her youthful body and she felt about twenty. She laughed again and spread her arms out to her side, lifting her head up to the sun to feel its warmth bathe her skin and she breathed deeply and happily because she _could._

She was sad that she was leaving Scorpius. The pain that he must be feeling over her being gone must be _agonizing _and she couldn't wait until he came here to meet her, to be with her, to stay with her – literally forever. She looked to the side and saw her whole family there, her mother and father at the forefront, holding hands and smiling brightly and she ran to them, running because she now _could. _

Scorpius would be okay, she thought as she jumped into her father's arms. It'd take him time, but he'd move on because he had always been strong. He'd forgive her for leaving and he'd join her.

She couldn't wait.

**M is for Madness**

A loud bang drew Scorpius' attention to the hallway to his left and he froze instinctively, trying to come up with a varied reason for why he was wandering the corridors after hours instead of in his common room like he should be.

When Filch (who was absolutely ancient now) didn't come around the corner with his new cat, Mr Norris (how imaginative) and his light shining brightly in his face, he breathed a sigh of relief. He shook his head and chuckled, running a hand agitatedly through his platinum blonde hair and carried on down the corridor – a part of him was eager to know just what had caused that bang, but another part, a bigger part, just wanted to go back to the dungeons.

Damn his midnight craving for some chocolate cake.

"Malfoy?" he whipped his body around so fast at the tentative sound that he was surprised that he didn't get whiplash.

"Weasley?"

"Yeah. What are you doing at this hour?" She asked, and Scorpius frowned, unable to see her – he could only make the faint outline of her body and catch a whiff of her natural smell, which drove him absolutely mad.

"I could ask you the same thing, Weasley?" Scorpius retorted and smirked at her lack of response. He turned and swiftly made his way back down the corridor, shoving his hands in the pockets of his robe and trying very hard to not look back. He failed. He couldn't help but turn his neck to the side just a little bit and that caused him to walk straight into a suit of armour that he swore wasn't there earlier.

He fell hard on his back and found himself looking up at the ceiling, slightly disorientated at his fall and feeling just a little bit embarrassed at this display of clumsiness, but he didn't have time to ponder it because the shuffling footsteps that every students despised was getting closer, as was the quiet meow of a cat on a mission.

Before he could even think to get up, Rose was there, her hand in his and she pulled him up with a strength that he was surprised she possessed and she was pulling him in the opposite direction. It was good that she seemed to know what she was doing, so he followed after her, not caring that they're hands were still clasped together and they fell into step.

Scorpius dared a look to his left and saw her in perfect clarity, her red hair blowing behind her, a wide smile on her face as her blue eyes were alight with adventure and adrenaline and his heart constricted slightly as Filch shouted behind them, trying to keep up but both knew that he wouldn't catch them. Still, they carried on running and only stopped when a door ahead of them opened and Rose pulled them into a little alcove hidden by a tapestry of dancing chipmunks that he hadn't even noticed.

It was small in the alcove and they were breathing deeply, their chests moving in tandem as he pushed her into the wall, his forearms coming up to rest against the wall on either side of her head as he leaned close to her, shielding them both from whoever was outside. Scorpius recognised the voices of Longbottom and Flitwick and it seemed that Rose did to.

In response, she moved closer to him, her body pressed against his and she pressed her face into the curve of his neck and shoulder – normally, he'd hate this but, here with Rose, it just felt so right that he brought his arms around her, and rested his chin on the top of her head.

This was madness, he thought as he held her, but he couldn't bring himself to let her go – instead, he felt his arm muscles tighten and he turned them, so that if someone where to pull back the tapestry, the first thing that they would see would be Scorpius' back.

He didn't know why he did and, at the moment, he really couldn't care less. Together, they seemed to fit and they stayed in this position long after the two professors had gone their separate ways.

"Malfoy?" She asked, her breath brushing the skin of his neck just so.

"Hmm?" He opened his eyes and was suddenly slammed back to reality and he let her go as if she was made of fire. What on Earth was he thinking? She was a Weasley – had he gone absolutely mad? They left the tapestry at different times, Rose ducking out before him and turning left, no doubt heading for Gryffindor tower.

As he watched her leave, her red curls whipping around as she looked left and right, he felt his blood boil and he could hardly stand it, the sudden need to touch her…The only conclusion was that he had definitely gone mad.

It wasn't until three years later that he realised he was right – he had gone mad. That was the night that he realised how attractive Rose was and it was the next day that he sought her out in the library and learned of her dyslexia.

He was mad for Rose Weasley.

**N is for Nicholas**

Despite every reassurance from practically everyone that he knew that he would be a good father and that you learn with time, he was so afraid that he would drop his son the moment that he was handed over to him. He was just so tiny and his head barely fit into the palm of his hand as he looked down at his son with wonderment, his other hand sliding under the baby's body as if he had done it a million times before (which he had – the Weasley clan did breed like rabbits and he had held a few babies in his time).

His son. He could hardly believe it, that he and Rose had managed to create this…Teeny, tiny person and that it was their job to nourish and care for this child and raise it to know right from wrong. Scorpius mind jumped to his first steps, the first time he flew on a broom, the first time he spoke, the first time he used magic and he felt tears prickle at the corners of his eyes.

"I want another one," he gasped out to a sleepy Rose who chuckled low in her throat.

"What, like, right now?" She arched a red eyebrow in amusement and reached her hands out for their son. Scorpius handed him over (not very happily though) and watched as Rose held him to her chest with ease, her arm holding him tight and secure to her body while her hands slid through the pale blonde hair that was already there on top of his head.

"Merlin," Scorpius breathed shakily, settling himself on the bed beside his wife, his arm going around her shoulder as he looked at her with pure amazement and pride. "You, woman, are amazing."

"Tell me something I don't know." It was baffling to Scorpius how Rose had just endured fifteen hours of painful hell and was still managing to joke around, despite the fact she must be exhausted and still in a little bit of pain. Scorpius had despised the birth itself, just for the pain that it had brought to his wife and he felt his heart constrict again as his thought's wondered back to her screams.

Although, being a Weasley who had, inevitably, inherited stubbornness, the screams were few and far between.

"I love you," she whispered, leaning her head back on his shoulder, her blue eyes shining with tears to match his own and he leant his own head down to touch his forehead to hers, his lips barely brushing hers as he whispered to her; "I love you, too."

Rose smiled and turned to their son just as there was a low knock on the door. "Come in!" Scorpius called, not taking his eyes off his son as his hand drifted to the top of his son's head.

He heard them come in and close the door quietly and he heard Rose shush them, gesturing to their baby in her arms and Scorpius couldn't give a damn that he was crying.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and his eyes were involuntarily wrenched away from his son to look up into the eyes of his father. At first, he was a little afraid that he would see disappointment flashing in his father's eyes as, because of him (and Rose, obviously) the baby wasn't a pure-pure blood. Still a pure-blood, because both sets of grandparents had magical abilities, which is the definition of pure-blood, but not the purest blood that the Malfoy's had previously held. Scorpius wasn't sure why he expected to see that, because he'd given nothing but approval all through his and Rosie's relationship, but his brain just jumped to that assumption. He was surprised to see that his features were devoid of disappoint and, instead, there was pride shining in his grey eyes.

Draco Malfoy was proud.

"Oh, Rosie, he's beautiful." Hermione Weasley said, her own finger stroking their son's cheek, "have you settled on a name?"

As Hermione asked this, his son's eyes opened and Scorpius was shocked to see that his Cerulean blue eyes (that they could already see were slowly changing to grey) were huge and surrounded by long, full eyelashes.

"Hey," Rose whispered to the child as he blinked lazily up at them, his little fist coming loose from the blanket and Scorpius touched his finger to it lightly, to let his son know that he was there (despite the fact that he could clearly be seen) and he felt his heart constrict almost painfully as his son clutched onto his finger with unbelievable strength for someone so tiny.

Merlin, how was it possible to love someone this much? Scorpius had never, ever believed in love at first sight until he had laid eyes on his son.

"It's an amazing feeling, right?" Scorpius looked up at his father-in-law, having completely forgotten that there was anybody else in the room and he was sure that the wide smile on his face was making him look ridiculous, but he could care less.

"We have chosen a name." Rose said, pushing some of her sweat-soaked hair off her face, "and, I'm sorry Draco, but we decided to deviate away from astrological names."

"Any particular reason?" Draco asked, although Scorpius could tell from his demeanour that he wasn't terribly upset about it.

"Yeah, times are changing." Scorpius simply answered and Draco nodded, accepting his answer. "But, to uphold tradition, his middle name will be a constellation. All of our kids will."

"Say hello to your first grand-child."

_**BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS **_

_At 10pm on 24__th__ January 2034 at 's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, to Rose and Scorpius Malfoy, are proud to announce the arrival of their son, Nicholas Caleum Malfoy._

**O is for Overcome**

For some reason, Scorpius had no idea how to tie a tie.

It was ridiculous. He'd been doing it since he was eleven years old, but today, of all days, his mind decided to go blank and pretend that it had never learnt how to tie a tie and that his hands would just forget the pattern that had become familiar to them after all these years.

This was why Scorpius found himself holding onto both edges of his tie and staring blankly in the mirror.

He was getting married today.

He was overcome with slight panic at this realisation that today he wouldn't be a free agent anymore. Despite the fact that he hadn't been since he was seventeen, but that was besides' the point…Marriage was just so much more permanent.

When the door to the room he was staying in opened softly, Scorpius didn't pay any attention to it, his mind frazzled ad focused on two things: trying to tie the damn tie in his hands and the fact that he would be attached to Rose Weasley forever.

"Freaking out, huh?" Scorpius' head whipped to the side, a frown on his face and panic in his eyes and Draco couldn't help but chuckle at it. 

"Just a bit." Scorpius lied through his teeth and turned back to his reflection: He had opted to wear a grey Muggle suit, simply because he much preferred the style of it and, whenever he wore robes, he always felt as though he was wearing a dress. Rose had got him started on wearing muggle clothes, he remembered and she had bought him his first pair of jeans. He still wore them to this day. His white shirt was pressed to perfection and fit him perfectly, both the suit and shirt tailored to his body shape, but his white-blonde hair was spiked up because he had run his hands through it so many times that morning.

"Don't be, son. You're making the right choice."

"Am I?" Scorpius asked a little hysterically, giving up on the tie and letting both ends of the black tie lay on the lapels of his suit jacket as he started pacing up and down, running his hands through his hair in agitation. "I mean, I love Rosie, I do, but Merlin can she be infuriating! She has this way of being over-confident in everything that she does! And she's so messy and disorganized – every available space in our home is just filled with her papers and books and films. And she can be so bossy – if she says we're doing, don't cross the great Rose Weasley because she will smite you!"

Scorpius was aware that he was rambling and he was also aware that he wasn't being very dignified at that moment, but he was freaking out in a room that was bright orange – he was a little entitled to look undignified.

It was his father's deep laughter that had Scorpius stopping mid-pace and he sent a mock-glare his father's way. "Dad. What's funny about this?"

"Oh, have you heard yourself? It's actually hilarious."

"Dad!" Scorpius really wanted to stomp his foot like he was four-years old again, but he refrained from doing so.

"It's just…Scorpius, right now you can only think of Rose's bad habits, but I can guarantee that when you see her walk down that aisle, you'll realise that the bad habit's really don't matter. Because, out of every man she could have, she chose you. And that's what you'll think of when she walks closer to you." Draco reassured his son with a hand on his shoulder. "Now, give me that tie. You look better without it."

00000

His dad was right. The second that Rose came into his view in that stunning white dress with tiny white flowers in her red hair cascading over one shoulder, his brain for the first time that night shut the hell up.

Instead, his heart started talking. He was overcome with the love that he had for this woman and his heart almost burst at the sight of her – she was perfect. She was his everything.

It didn't matter that she was messy – He loved her.

It didn't matter that she was over-confident – He loved her.

It didn't matter that she was bossy – He loved her.

Merlin, he loved her, and standing here, his palms getting slightly sweaty as she grew closer to him, a wide, radiant smile on her face and her beauty seemed magnified today, he knew that this was right.

He loved her. And he was overcome with that feeling. Because it was right. And it was hers.

**P is for**** Party**

Gryffindor had won the Quidditch Cup for the eleventh year running and, in celebration, a huge party was thrown in Gryffindor Tower. Rose was sat on the couch, staring into the flames of the crackling fire as her mind absent-mindedly went back to the match.

Gryffindor had been against Ravenclaw, who had a strong team this year. James though wasn't worried, determined that Gryffindor could easily defeat Ravenclaw and he'd been right. With her and James' skills as Chaser's and their ability to read each other's mind (due to growing up together), Lily's seeker skills and Fred and Roxanne's brilliance with a beater bat, they had totally demolished Ravenclaw.

But, for some reason, Rose could care less. Yeah, it was amazing that they had won, but they had won every single year since she'd been at this school and the novelty had long worn off for her.

Not for James though, who was currently having a dance-off in the middle of the make-shift dance floor with Fred, a bottle of Firewhiskey in one hand and a Gryffindor flag in the other. Rose shook her head at her cousin's childishness and stood from the couch, suddenly very bored with being in the tower (despite the continuous throwing of confetti and the loud blaring music from the wireless) and she made her way through the crowd of onlookers to escape.

Having exited the tower, she ignored the Fat Lady's warnings that it would be curfew in half and hour and she made her way leisurely through the corridors, making her way to the kitchens. She wasn't quite sure what led her here, but she didn't really question it. Instead, she reached out her finger and tickled the pair, smiling as it giggled and grabbed the doorhandle it turned into, thankful for her Uncle George for telling her how to open it.

The second that she steps into the kitchen, a hundred house-elves all rush to her aid, each offering their assistance to her and she laughed at their energetic natures.

"Just a slice of chocolate cake, please, with –"

"Cream and strawberries." Rose looked up in shock at who had finished her order and smiled in slight surprised at seeing Scorpius Malfoy sat at the benches of the Ravenclaw table with a bowl of ice cream in front of him in nothing but a white top and green pyjama bottoms.

"What he said." She said to the house-elves and they all fled in a hurry, each trying to prepare the food for her. By the time she sat opposite Scorpius, her chocolate cake with whipped cream and strawberries was presented before her with a flourish. "Thank-you," she smiled her appreciation at the House Elf, who bowed low, until her nose touched the floor before scampering off.

"Well, Weasley, didn't expect to see you down here, not with what party must be going on." Scorpius grinned, leaning on one arm on the table as his other hand dipped his spoon into his ice cream, which was mint chocolate chip flavoured.

Rose shook her head, her red tendrils escaping her hasty ponytail and she reached for her own spoon. "It just doesn't excite me anymore." She said conversationally, taking a bite of her chocolate cake, closing her eyes at the rich, chocolatey taste.

"So, why play?"

"For the thrill of the game, not the thrill of the win." Scorpius grinned at her and ran a hand through his blonde hair, letting it fall back into place over his forehead, obscuring his grey eyes from view. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Why are you down here in the kitchens instead of in your dorms?"

Scorpius chuckled and took another bite of his ice-cream. "Because, Weasley, I fancied a bit of a treat." Rose raised her eyebrows expecting more of a response then that and Scorpius sensed that. "Okay, fine. I'm comfort eating. I'd much rather Ravenclaw had won than Gryffindor."

Rose nodded, "me too."

It was strange, Rose thought absent-mindedly as she took a bite from her strawberry, noting that Scorpius' eyes were fixated on her lips, how they could bond over something as simple as this, being in the kitchen because of the outcome of a Quidditch game while Rose was supposed to be at a party, celebrating.

It was, she supposed a few years later, that it was a good she had gone to the kitchens that night and skipped out on the party – because that was the moment that she became attracted to Scorpius Malfoy.

**Q is for Questions**

They were some questions Scorpius asked that Rose knew the answer to immediately.

_Wanna go to Hogsmeade this weekend? Yes._

_Wanna go throw a Quaffle around tonight? Yes. _

_Do you think…That maybe…You'd consider going out with me? Yes. _

_Do you wanna live together? Yes. _

_Will you marry me? Yes. _

_Do you want to try for children? Yes._

But the question that Scorpius just asked her while holding their baby daughter in his arms, she had no idea how to respond.

"Who should be her Godparents?"

Rose hadn't even thought about it – she was to wrapped up in the fact that this was her third pregnancy and she got complacent, believing that she had it all figured out.

Seems like she forgot something.

She shouldn't have forgotten it really, as she remembered that choosing Godparents for Nicholas and Rachael had been hell, neither of them being able to settle with the others choices – for Nicholas Godparents they had settled with Scorpius' best friend Leo Zabini (who was wonderful with kids, something that surprised Rose greatly) and Rose's best friend Kaelyn. For Rachael, the choices had been a lot harder.

Rose had so much family that she felt that they'd feel that she was picking favourites among them – she had felt so guilty when she had announced to her family (all 40 of them – the little ones included) that they had chosen James as Rachael's Godfather, but she didn't regret their decision. All through Hogwarts James had had Rose's back, always been there for her, very protective – he would do the same for their daughter, Godfather or not.

So, who was going to be Phoenix's Godparents?

"I have no idea." She responded, letting her fingers card through the red curls on top of her daughters head and couldn't help the slight smirk – the first Malfoy in hundreds of years to have red hair. She was so proud.

"We should probably get a move on with that, huh?" He said teasingly, and Rose narrowed her eyes at him in mock annoyance.

"Alright then, come up with any bright ideas?" She said, walking past Scorpius and heading up the stairs to their home, knowing that he would follow – it was time for Phoenix's nap.

"You know that I'm gonna say Al." Scorpius said and normally Rose would agree with him, but Al was Godfather to a lot of his nieces and nephews and Rose didn't want to add another weight on his shoulders.

"How about Louis?" She said as she flipped the light switch in Phoenix's room on, illuminating the nursery.

"Louis? Why?"

"Because he isn't a Godparent yet. Everyone else is."

Scorpius chuckled and lowered his daughter carefully into the crib, letting his fingers brush her skin lightly before he let go of her and then he leant his arms on the edge of the crib, bending his back so he could look at his daughter for a little longer. "It isn't a competition, Rose."

"I know, but it's nice to feel needed. Remember how elated you were when James asked us to be Godparent's to his son?"

"Yeah, and I also remember comforting the kid when James and Denise broke up. It's a lot of responsibility and you can't just hand it over to somebody because they don't have the title yet." Scorpius pointed out and it did make sense to Rose…But she did feel guilty for her cousin.

"Okay, aside from Al, who do you suggest?"

"Does it have to be somebody from your family?" Scorpius asked, watching in amusement as his daughter's eyes closed for longer with each blink.

"Not at all – remember, Leo and Kaelyn aren't in my family."

"Well, what about my parents?" He offered tentatively, slightly afraid of Rose's reaction.

"What about mine? If my dad found out that I made Draco Malfoy a Godfather and not him, he'd blow a fuse." Rose said, letting her hand rest on the back of his shoulder as she tapped the star mobile over Phoenix's crib with her wand, setting it in motion.

Scorpius rubbed the back of his head and let out a sigh – before he had had children, he didn't understand the need for Godparents but he now realised that his kids needed a back-up, somebody to be there for them at all time in case anything happened to him or Rose.

Or just Rose, because without her, there was no way that he could function.

"Besides, our parents aren't as young as they used to be."

"No, but they're not old." Scorpius retorted, "I'm sure that they'll be able to look after her anyways."

"Well, we can't make them both the Godparents – They'd argue about it like there's no tomorrow."

Scorpius nodded and ran his finger down Phoenix's cheek one final time before stepping back from the crib and, lacing his fingers with Rose, pulled her gently out of the room, flicking the light off as they went. "So, who?"

Rose sighed and shrugged, all of her relatives and friends flashing through her mind, her brain trying to do a pro's and con's list for each person. She had to admit, the prospect of Albus was starting to appeal to her, but he had so many God children due to his wife, Helen, having ten siblings and about a million children between them all.

"Hugo?" She heard Scorpius ask and she turned to face him, the pro's and con's list for Hugo pushing to the forefront of her mind and she opened her mouth to list all the con's when a hand clamped on her shoulder, elicting a small scream from her.

"Whoa, Relax Rose-toes, it's only me." Rose narrowed her eyes at her brother, annoyed at him for scaring her witless like that.

"What are you doing here?" Rose asked, crossing her arms over her chest, making her annoyance well known.

"Can't a man come and see his big sister?" He asked, shaking his jacket from his arms and running a hand through his shoulder length brown hair. At seeing both Rose and Scorpius' raised eyebrows, Hugo sighed. "Fine. JJ threw my out again."

"Any particular reason?" Scorpius asked, leaning against the banister, his hands in the front pocket of his jeans up to the first set of knuckles.

"Hormones." Hugo scoffed, shaking his head, "but I better get used to it, huh."

Scorpius nodded in agreement just as two identical shrieks of happiness could be heard and two blurs of blonde sped past him into Hugo's waiting arms. "Uncle Hugo!" They cried simultaneously and Hugo picked them up easily, his six foot one frame meaning that they were a long way from the ground and Rose felt her heart squeeze tightly – she hoped that he wouldn't drop her children.

"Relax, love." Scorpius whispered behind her, his hand sliding around her shoulder as he pulled her close to his side, "he's got them."

Rose looked at the way that Rachael was animatedly telling Hugo about her day while Nicholas was trying to get his attention, bounding in his arm slightly. Scorpius was right, Hugo really did have them. His arms tensed as Nicholas moved, making him less mobile and pulled him closer, without even thinking.

He'd make an amazing father.

He'd make an amazing Godfather.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Scorpius asked, the corner of his lips turning up in a half-smile as his daughter laughed in delight at something that Hugo had said happily to her.

"I don't know, Scorpius. I never put much stock in Divination," Rose teased, but she knew she was. She turned to her brother, taking a step closer. "Hey Hugo, we have a Question…"

**R is for Rain**

Rose Weasley had always hated the rain – The grey mist that tagged along with it determined to bring with it a feeling of complete misery, the annoying tap-tap-tap repetitively on the windows and the trapped feeling of having no other option but to stay inside the stone walls of the castle (unless you wanted to be cold and soaked through to the bone) all teamed together to fuel her dislike.

But right now, with Scorpius' lips on hers and his arms around her waist, the last thing on their mind was her hatred of the rain.

Instead, she concentrated on the cooling splashes on her heated skin as both their lips parted and their tongues touched simultaneously – A groan vibrated from his chest and she moaned in an echo of his as his hands grabbed the back of her thighs and lifted her up, forcing her to wrap her legs around his waist as he pushed her against the wall of the castle, his hands slipping stealthily under the grey material of her school skirt.

He broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers, the tips of his damp blonde hair tickled her skin lightly and she sighed in contentment as his hands moved up to cradle her face, his grey eyes searching her blue ones imploringly as his pelvis tilted just so and Rose's head fell back at the sensation overtaking her body, banging it on the wall roughly – his hands slipped to the back of her head to protect it from more harm as his lips pressed to the exposed skin of her neck, sucking lightly on her pulse point.

"Scorpius…" She breathed out breathily, her fingers rubbing circles on his scalp and he groaned again, pushing his body closer to hers so that not even air or tiny drops of rain can get between them.

"Merlin, Rose," he whispered, moving his head back to press his lips almost desperately to hers and she returned the fire and passion that she felt in the pit of her stomach, tugging on the strands of his hair lightly. The mixture of the taste that was so uniquely Scorpius and the rain seemed to fuel her need for him and her fingers strayed to the buttons of his shirt, slipping the buttons out of the holes easily, barely noticing that he was copying her movements (all one handed as he one hand still supported the back of Rose's head.)

She opened her eyes reluctantly and let her eyes scan the grounds before them, thankful that there was no-one there and for once, she thanked the rain for driving everybody inside. From their position they couldn't be seen from anyone looking out either – Scorpius had made sure of that.

As his hips tilted again, Rose's fingernails dug into his well-muscled shoulders as she gasped, and he shivered in response to her, bending his head to trail his tongue down her collar-bone and suck at the wet material of her bra. The sensations overtook Rose's body and she tightened her grip around his waist as one of his hands cupped her rear-end and his natural thrust added to the turbulent swell of emotions swirling inside her, building higher and higher, coiling tighter and tighter.

She had never felt so good before, never had she thought that this feeling was possible- this was more exhilarating then flying at fast speeds on her broom with the Quaffle under her arm and the roar of the fans echoing in her ears, it was more addictive then the chocolate cake that they snuck into the kitchen at midnight to eat, more intoxicating that a bottle of Fire-whiskey. This, with Scorpius made her feel all of those things together and more, because that's what she needed – more.

Her hips began to move against Scorpius' and he groaned loudly in response, moving his head up to kiss her again, almost frantically, sucking on her bottom lip and biting it lightly with his teeth. They moved as one, faster, until they both reached the inevitable climax and Rose's body stiffened. She shuddered in his grasp and she felt his body go rigid beneath her touch as everything merged together as one, as the noise of the rain seemed to die down and there, in the middle of it, was just Scorpius and Rose.

She came back to awareness a few moments later with all of Scorpius' weight pressed against her, one arm wrapped tightly around her waist and the other arm leaning against the wall, his forearm taking some of his weight by her head. He was breathing harshly and his legs were shaking slightly. Rose would have offered to move, but she wasn't sure if she could stand at all at this moment. She always felt like this with Scorpius and, with their impending graduation not very far off, these little moments together had become more frequent, as if they were both afraid that this would be their last chance.

The rain was still pounding steadily around them, and Rose leaned her head back gently against the stone, lifting her face to the heavens and smiling slightly – at this moment, the rain had made everything that much more heightened and, with Scorpius panting, his hot breaths brushing her temple, Rose liked the rain.

**S is for Sorry**

"I don't understand why you have to do this!" Rose said angrily to her boyfriend, who was stood on the opposite side of the living room, arms crossed over his chest, looking incredibly annoyed with her.

"Because it's my job, Rose." He answered patiently and, if this were any other time, Rose would be impressed with his ability to be calm and collected.

"How is going away and leaving me for three weeks a part of your job?" She asked, letting some of the hurt slip into her tone.

Scorpius softened slightly and his arms fell to his sides, his face looking less angry. "I'm sorry, Rose. If I go on this case then, who knows, maybe I'd get a better shoe-in for Head Auror when Harry leaves in a few years. Wouldn't that be better, Rose?"

"Better for who, Scor?" She asked tiredly, not liking the thought of him leaving at all – especially on this case. The one with Keres last month had been bad enough, but that hadn't been expected. This time, Scorpius knew he was walking into danger and he wasn't turning away from it. He was determined to keep going and it seemed that not Hell or High water (or her) would stop him.

"For us, Rosie." He reached his hand out to touch her but she moved back from his grasp, still not sure where her emotions were taking her – extreme anger, or upset.

"How will you being Head Auror benefit me, Scorpius? It'll just mean that you're on more missions all the time." She said, remembering when she was a little girl and the arguments that her mother and father had over his job and she had always promised herself that she wouldn't repeat the process with her own boyfriend, if he was an Auror, but the fear that she felt at him being gone for so long, with no way to contact her and let her know if she was safe and –

"Come on, Rose. This is a great opportunity for me – why won't you let me take it?" He asked imploringly, running a hand through his silver-blonde hair in frustration and Rose felt her temper flare.

"Because it can get you killed, Scorpius, and I don't think…If you were…I can't…" Her temper, while still there, was giving way to the tears that she'd been repressing for so long and she had to stop talking, had to stop shouting and she had to make him see…He wouldn't leave her willingly, she knew that, wouldn't spend hours and hours in his work and neglect her – she wasn't jealous enough to think that, but that didn't mean that he would be forced to leave her, have his life taken in the cross-fire or –

Before she could continue her train of thought, Scorpius was stood close in front of her, his hands reaching out to lie on her shoulders gently. "Rose, I know you're worried about this, but it'll be fine."

"How, Scorpius? You'll be gone for two weeks and anything can happen. I've seen enough Auror's get hurt and injured and worse! I can't stand it if it'd be you as well."

"Rose, it's a part of my job –"

"Well, I don't like it! I've lived with Auror's all my life, I've lived with the fear that when they walk out the door to go on a mission, you might not come back!" The damn had been broken and the tears spilled from her eyes and splashed onto her cheeks. She angrily brushed them away but more replaced them until she was sobbing, wrapping her arms around her waist and trying to compose herself.

She still remembered, with clarity, the night in her sixth year when her father had got injured during a mission, had been in a coma for a fortnight as her family waited for him to wake up and prayed that he would do so. She still remembered the bone-chilling fear, the need to be held by her father again and the soul clenching thought that he might not ever do so again.

She realised now that losing her father would have been hard, painful, unforgettable…But losing Scorpius would kill her.

Scorpius had pulled her close into his tight embrace, his forehead pressed against her temple and he muttered reassurances under his breath, running his hands gently down her back and shushing her softly, trying to relax her. "Please don't go. Don't leave." She whispered, her hands falling to tangle in the material of his shirt, pulling him closer to her as she sobbed.

00000

She woke up to the sun shining through the curtains the next morning, not knowing how she'd got into bed or changed into her night-clothes (basically, Scorpius' shirt and boxers).

She closed her eyes as she remembered what had happened last night, the images flying back to her at top-speed as she recalled the yelling and the arguing, but she stood by what she said. She glanced at the clock on the wall and realised that it was 10am – Scorpius had already left to go on this case and he hadn't even said goodbye.

Instead of getting angry about it, like she would have done normally, she curled up even further into a ball then she already was and pressed her forehead to her up drawn knees, trying to keep the tears at bay.

When the door to the bedroom opened, Rose barely had time to reach for her wand before the footfalls became recognisable to her and she knew who it was instantly.

"Scorpius? What are you doing here?" She asked, pushing her red curls away from her face and he smirked, sitting beside her on the bed, his hand reaching foreword to tuck a stray curl behind her ear.

"I live here, babe." He answered casually, raising one eyebrow slightly and she rolled her eyes.

"I meant; why are you still here? I thought that you'd have gone on that case by now."

Scorpius shook his head and pulled her foreword into his arms, one hand on her waist and the other resting on her cheek as her hands settled on his chest and their foreheads touched. "Rose, do you really expect me to do something when it clearly upsets you?" He asked, looking slightly insulted that the thought would eve cross her mind, "you made your feelings clear last night about how you felt about it and you're right – if it had been the other way around with you leaving for two weeks straight I would have put my foot down as well." He smiled, a simple tilt of his lips, but it was enough. "And, I didn't really want to leave you, either." He said softly, brushing a red curl away from Rose's face and tucking it behind her ear.

"What about being Head Auror? Your chances –"

"I've still got input on the case, my opinions matter. Rose, if I don't get it, I don't get it. It isn't the end of the world and, anyways, not to brag but I can afford to not get it."

She closed her eyes and sighed, letting her whole weight rest of Scorpius and he took it, happily, using the hand at her jaw and cheek to draw her face closer and he pressed his lips to hers. It wasn't a passionate kiss by any means, just a simple brush of lips, but it conveyed everything that they wanted to say to each other.

The couple learned early on it their relationship that saying sorry didn't work for them, the words alone meant nothing without the meaning behind it.

Rose's kiss said to him that she was sorry she had made him choose.

Scorpius' kiss said to her that he was sorry he made her worry.

And the choice would always be her. Always.

**T is for Together **

When Scorpius opened his eyes, the first thing that he was aware of was that there was no more pain. The agonising pain that had been swirling around his ribcage, the one that more often than not managed to drag him to his knees was gone, with barely a whisper or a twinge left. That could only mean one thing.

Rose was here.

He sat up quickly, smoothly for someone who was nearing 109 years of age and he looked down instinctively at himself, shocked at what he could see.

He was young again; the wrinkles that had adorned his skin had smoothed out and no longer felt papery of uncomfortable, his joints no longer groaned and complained when he moved and when he reached a hand up to his head, he was surprised to feel a full head of thick hair that fell in front of his eyes and was a radiant platinum blonde. He touched the hem of the white shirt he had one and slowly lifted it up, breathing a sigh of relief at the lean muscle under the tight web of skin that he had lost long ago.

He leapt to his feet with ease and he very nearly laughed to himself when he did so easily, and he tilted his head back, feeling the wind toss his hair back gently and he knew what this meant.

He was dead.

He grinned and looked around for the first time, noticing that he was in the library of Hogwarts and he raised an eyebrow in slight shock – the afterlife was _Hogwarts_? – With a sigh he dropped down into a seat and leant his elbow on the desk in front of him, stretching his legs out and resting his chin in his hand, wondering where Rose was and how old exactly he was at the minute.

He was setting out a plan in his mind in which he just searched this place – Hogwarts, he reminded himself and he scoffed slightly at the prospect of spending eternity in this castle – when a quiet voice broke through his train of thought.

"Excuse me, do you mind if I sit here?" His head snapped in the direction of that voice so fast it was a wonder that he didn't get whiplash and he looked to see Rose, _his_ Rose, who he hadn't seen in eight, long, agonising years, looking young and beautiful; leaning against a bookshelf with her arms crossed over her chest, her head tilted to the side and her red, curly hair tumbling over her shoulder like a waterfall.

He stared at her for a moment, allowing the sight of her to fill him up and replace the hole that had opened up inside of him since she died and let her warmth and love overflow it.

He acted on instinct, jumping up and practically running to her, wrapping her in his arms and holding onto her so tightly it was a wonder that he didn't hurt her, pressing frantic kisses across her face and was vaguely aware of her doing the same to him, holding him just as tight and a thought dawned on him that she must have missed him as much as he missed her.

He threaded his fingers in her red curls and pulled her close, pressing a final kiss to his forehead before he simply held her, burying his face in her curly hair and breathing in the scent of her; apples. He had ached for this, to hold her in his arms again, to kiss her, to inhale her scent again. Now that he was here, doing it, he didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. So, instead, he pressed his lips fully to hers and nearly groaned in relief at tasting her once again.

Eight years, three months, eleven weeks, two days and five hours after Rose had been taken from him, they were back together again and she had been his life.

Turned out, she was his afterlife as well.

And he was more than happy about that, spending the rest of eternity together.

**U is for Unforgettable**

The Seventh Years of Hogwarts looked to the front of the Great Hall as their Head Girl, Amanda Ryan, walked up to the stand with the Head Boy, Scorpius Malfoy, stood beside her.

The date was June 17th 2024. Graduation Day.

"Sadly, our time at Hogwarts has come to an end. They have been more than a few tears, bad times, accidents, losses, stressful times. We don't remember half of what they teach us here but when it comes to the torture and heartache that has happened to pretty much every single student under this roof – we all have an elephant's memory and those times will never be forgotten." Amanda said and an air of sadness fell on the people in the Great Hall and Rose frowned as she listened to the sad words – wasn't this supposed to be a speech about the great times that everyone had had, whether they had actually happened or not.

"But I wouldn't want to forget them. Those experiences are what shaped us, made us who we are, enabled us to have the courage and the will to leave Hogwarts and continue with our lives with the knowledge that we will do better than our tormentors and leave them in the dust." Scorpius picked up and Rose couldn't fight the smile that tugged on her lips as she heard his voice, smooth and confident, and it filled her up with warmth inside.

"The bad times that we have experienced have made the good times that much greater, the wins that much more successful, the love seem that much better." Amanda said, smiling down at everyone and adjusting the black Wizards cap that sat on top of her head. "While we will leave Hogwarts today, the memory of us won't be forgotten. Many things have happened inside these walls, good and bad, and each one leaves an imprint."

"If we ever walk down these corridors again, the memories will assault us, even if they are ones that happened when we just first years, incidents that seemed meaningless then but now, have a whole different sentiment to them. People have hurt in this castle that much is true. But people have fallen in love in this castle as well." Scorpius' piercing grey eyes met her blue ones and Rose felt goose bumps rise on her skin – even from a distance in a room full of people he had a startling effect on her and she almost laughed – he had just told her that he loved her in front of 50 students and all their family members, including her quick-to-temper father and his quick-to-judgment family.

Now that was a moment that she wouldn't be forgetting any time soon.

**V is for Vision**

Many people think that Professor Sybil Trelawney was a bat, a hoax and that she didn't possess the power of sight.

Of course, she did have her moments, the Prophecy that had predicted Voldemort's downfall, the one that depicted Peter Pettigrew returning to his master and her correct assumption that Hermione Granger was just too stubborn and close-minded to really be a true seer.

Also, her on-going bet with Professor Ryerson (the Defence teacher) about the fate of Scorpius Malfoy and Rose Weasley.

She had taught both in her Divination classroom and while Rose is as critical and close-minded as her mother, she does possess some potential in this art, correctly telling Albus Potter that the next day he'd be attacked by a suit of armour (the suit of armour fell on him on his way to the Great Hall for dinner the next day). Scorpius Malfoy, on the other hand, had copious amounts of skill while reading tea-leaves and mapping the planets and their effects, but failed when it came to the use of the crystal ball.

Still, she had taught them for three years since their third year and she just knew that they were destined for the other. It was painfully obvious and she didn't need to be a seer to see the attraction between the two teenagers. She did, however, envision their future in a dream.

A vision and a prophecy are two completely different things – A prophecy is what _will_ come to be, no matter how hard you try and prevent it. A vision is what _could_ be, shadows of a future that may happen.

In her vision, the Weasley girl and Malfoy boy were irrevocably in love.

Professor Ryerson is one of those who would write Professor Trelawney off as insane and when she let him know one dinner in their third year that she believed they would end up together if they chose the right paths, he had snorted and chortled, telling her to put her galleons where her mouth was.

At the welcoming feast in their seventh year, Professor Trelawney could see the change almost immediately. At the end of their sixth year they had been dancing around each other, the attraction levels rising and the sexual attraction obvious. Now, the glances between the two at opposite sides of the hall where showing something much, much deeper.

In the middle of Seventh year when Professor Ryerson saw Scorpius Malfoy places kisses on Rose Weasley's face by the frozen over lake with the snow falling lazily around them, he snacked himself in the head in annoyance.

He owed Professor Trelawney 17 galleons.

**W is for Warning**

Ron Weasley stared hard at the words on the parchment, re-reading them over and over again, wondering if they would ever make sense in his mind.

_Me an__d Scorpius are finally a couple, Dad…_

_I really like him…_

_Don't be mad, I know he's a Malfoy, but should it really matter?_

_I think you'd really like him, daddy, he's just like you – only not so quick to temper…_

_Apparently, girls marry their fathers and while I thought that was gross as a kid I get it now…_

_I love you__ daddy, but I love him too…_

_I hope that you understand my decision to be with him…_

_He makes me happy, daddy, you can understand that, can't you?_

_I'll see you at Christmas…_

_Love you…_

_Your daughter, Rose…_

His Rose, his baby girl, was dating Scorpius Malfoy?

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, nu-uh, no way, not Rose, no, this wasn't right…

Hadn't he told her? The first time they saw Scorpius and his family on Platform 9 ¾, hadn't he warned her to stay away from Malfoy, that he was trouble? He should have told her more, really drilled it into her mind that the Malfoy's were not the right family to get involved with…

Scorpius wasn't good enough for his little girl, no way. He wasn't up to the challenge of loving a wild, adventurous girl like his Rose, who couldn't be tied down by anyone.

His mind was frantically going back to the day she was born; he was the first one to hold her, her first steps; right towards him, her first word; "Dada!", her first injury; she had cried for her Dad.

Rose knew that she could depend on Ron, her father, to soothe her aches, fight away her fears and always, always be there for her. As a father he had worked hard to protect her from the harshness of the world, given anything to stop her hurting and he would give everything to keep her safe, but if she mingles with the Malfoy's she'll experience the cruelness of the people first hand…

"The Malfoy's have changed, you know." Ron's head snapped up in the direction of the voice to see Hermione walking into the room and carefully taking the letter away from Ron, her own brown eyes scanning the looped, messy, almost unreadable writing of their daughter before placing it gently on the coffee table before them and sitting next to him on the couch.

"They'll hurt her, Hermione. You heard me tell her to beat him in every test right, to best the Malfoy's and stay away from him?" He asked needing confirmation from his wife that he had indeed said that to Rose and Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Yes, I heard you try and pit them up against each other before they had even met." She chastised lightly but Ron had stopped listening after 'yes', frantically trying to figure how this had happened and why he was having such a hard time accepting it.

"I don't get it, Hermione. Rose is a good girl, our girl – she shouldn't be heading towards Malfoy…"

"Is that what this is about?" Hermione asked, settling her hand on the side of her husband's face and pulling it lightly towards it, her brown eyes scanning his face. "Are you worried that Rose is going to turn against us or something?"

"Oh, I hadn't even thought of that! What if he brainwashes her into the Malfoy way of thinking?" He asked frantically, standing and pacing, muttering under his breath.

Hermione couldn't help but smile at her husband's panic and picked up Rose's letter and stood as well, standing before Ron and placing her hands on his chest to stop him in his tracks. "I think you need to re-read the letter Ron. Read every line carefully, and tell me what's weird about Rose sending this letter to her _parents_."

Ron looked at her as if she was insane, one eyebrow raised in slight concern and Hermione rolled her eyes, pushing the parchment in Ron's hand. "For goodness sakes, Ronald, it isn't a riddle. Just read the first line and it'll make sense." She scolded, crossing her arms over her chest and tapping her foot, looking at him impatiently.

Ron's eyes lowered to the words scribbled hastily in Rose's chicken scrawl and read the opening line, _Dear Dad…_

He stared at it for a few seconds, a blank expression on his face before he looked at Hermione, hoping from a prompt. There was nothing weird about it to him, pretty much all of her letter started with _Dear Dad._

"Give me strength," Hermione muttered, looking up and shaking her head before narrowing her eyes at her husband, who in his confusion had calmed right down. "It says Dear Dad, not Mum and Dad, or parents…Dear Dad. It's addressed to you, Ron. She's telling you about her relationship because she want's your approval. Your approval means everything to her, Ron. It always has and I think it always will. She'll always be your little girl and Scorpius won't change that."

Ron let his eyes fall back to the letter and he noticed the constant repetition of Dad in between her words, how she asked questions, trying to make a point to _him_…He looked up at Hermione as the realisation of why this bothered him struck him in the chest hard and he marvelled at Hermione's ability to understand him better than he knew himself.

He sighed heavily as he re-read the letter again and again, hearing his daughter's voice, pleading, begging him to be okay with this and he was struck with the knowledge that if he didn't agree to this one of two things would happen: 1) she'd break up with the Malfoy boy and be unhappy for an infinite amount of time or 2) she'd stay with Scorpius anyway and move away from the family, becoming estranged thinking that her father was unhappy with her.

He felt his eyes itch as Hermione's words dawned on him, that Rose wanted his approval and only his – she was still his little girl and the fact that she was eighteen now didn't stop him from always seeing her in that way, from seeing the small girl who had always come to him with her problems, knowing that he would fix it.

Well, now she would go to Scorpius and he had to make his peace with that and let her know that he would still be here, always here to pick her up should she fall.

And he needed to warn Scorpius to not hurt his little girl, because he would kill him. Seriously.

**X is for Xylophone**

Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding!

Scorpius looked up from his work spread around the coffee table to look over at his two year old daughter who was sat just to the side of him on the floor, banging happily on the brightly coloured, child version of a piano (which was more lethal, as it had a hard stick that Phoenix tended to hit people with) that Rose had said was called a Xylophone.

His daughter laughed loudly at the noise coming from the xylophone, hitting the red key before her repetitively, a constant noise drilling into his mind.

He longed to go to his office to finish this up, but Rose was still at work and he wasn't going to leave his daughter's unattended as his son was at Hogwarts. He glanced at his other daughter, Rachael, who was sat on the couch beside him, her nose buried in a book that was too advanced for her age but she read it with ease, her curly blonde hair a halo around her hair as she flipped the page easily and her eyes moved frantically across the page as she took in the words. He grinned and reached over, letting his quill fall onto his papers and gently tugged on the eight year olds foot, pulling her closer. She squealed in that adorable way that children did when they were at a cross between surprised and happiness and she pouted theatrically at him, folding her arms over her chest, looking like Rose's double with his colouring.

"Dad, I'm reading!" She said and huffed and he rolled his eyes in amusement, picking her up and lifting her with ease, settling her on his knee. She shuffled lightly and leaned back into his chest, opening the book again and Scorpius swore that before he had blinked she had turned the page again.

"Can you actually read that fast?" Scorpius asked, gesturing to the book in her hands – she had only picked up the book an hour ago and was nearly finished – the book had 600 pages.

"Dad, the unconscious mind can process eleven billion pieces of information." She told him matter-of-factly, her deep brown still reading the pages, her finger moving down the lines as she finished them before she turned the page again. Sensing Scorpius' silence and interpreting it as confusion (she was an insanely smart eight year old), she sighed lightly. "Yes Dad, I can actually read this fast."

Scorpius' eyebrow's rose to show he was impressed when he opened his mouth to tell her that, he was interrupted quite rudely by –

Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding!

Scorpius sighed and looked over at his youngest child again and grinned as she giggled again before reaching his arm out and scooping her easily in his grasp and placing her beside her sister on his knee and leaning back into the couch cushions, holding his girls close.

When Rose came home from work it was to Scorpius asleep on the couch, his arms holding Rachel and Phoenix to him, who were both also asleep. Rachael was clutching a hard-cover book that was probably her Grandma Weasley's and Phoenix held in her small hands the mallet that she used to bang the Xylophone with.

It was blessedly quiet and Rose grinned at her family, grabbing the throw blanket and tucking them carefully into it before backing out of the living room.

And tripped over the Xylophone.

**Y is for Youth**

It was Phoenix's first day of Hogwarts and both Rose and Scorpius could feel their youngest daughter's tension. They knew that she was nervous about not having anybody with her when she got on the train…Well, there was Rachael but as she was five years older than Phoenix she had her own friends and their own compartment, but she had promised to stay close to Phoenix for the first month of so.

"Don't worry, brat." Nicholas said, running his hand through his jaw length blonde hair and smiling crookedly at an attractive brunette a little way down the Platform, who blushed and looked away. He had already left Hogwarts two years previously and had moved out of their home to have an apartment of his own and a job working at the Ministry in the Misuse of Muggle artefacts office, a job that he thoroughly loved, "it isn't so bad. When you get sorted you kind of become friends with your roommates instantly – you're all in the same boat."

Rose nodded in approval at Nicholas' advice and she crouched in front of her daughter. "Don't worry, Phoenix. It doesn't matter what house you get put in or anything like that – just have fun, work hard and please don't follow the legacy of your brother and be a menace." She said imploringly and kissed her daughter's cheek and hugged her.

"Come on, the train's boarding." Rachael said once she reached them, putting her hands in the pocket of her jeans and raising an eyebrow at her sister. Despite the wide age differences between Phoenix and her other two siblings she got along so well with the both of them and Rose watched in satisfaction as Nicholas ruffled Phoenix's bright red hair before loading her trunk on the train and talking briefly to Rachael before hugging her lightly and tackling her into a headlock and she shrieked in annoyance.

Nicholas laughed and pushed her away, shoving his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket as Rachael glared at him and brushed down her Ravenclaw Quidditch jumper.

Scorpius and Rose were used to this, to watching their children have their little moments with each other and being left in the dark – it had been happening since Nicholas confessed his fears to Rachael about which house he would be sorted into, scared that he'd be anything but a Slytherin, afraid of his family's disapproval: Rose and Scorpius didn't learn about it until Nicholas' last year at Hogwarts and a Gryffindor.

Just as they thought that they weren't even getting a goodbye, Rachael turned to them and waved, a wide grin on her face as she blew a kiss to her parents before grabbing the door handle and practically swinging onto the train, sticking her tongue out at her brother and went to join her friends.

Phoenix hesitantly looked over her shoulder at her parents and weakly waved and Rose couldn't kick the disappointment away – was that their send off? She remembered when she went to Hogwarts for the first time she hardly let go of her father and James had to practically drag her onto the train.

Just as she was about to climb on the train she turned and ran back to them and Rose grinned as Scorpius beside her stooped down and caught her easily, lifting her into his arms and holding her close, hiding his face in the mass of red hair that so resembled hers and Rose placed her hand on her head lightly as Nicholas moved to stand next to her, putting his arm around her shoulders and, in his own silent way, mocking that he was taller than her.

Phoenix grinned and fidgeted and Scorpius reluctantly put her down and their youngest daughter hugged Rose around the middle next and Nicholas laughed, ruffling her hair yet again.

"Phoenix, come on! The train's gonna go whether you're on it or not!" Rachael yelled out the window and Phoenix detangled herself, running back to the train looking a lot happier than she did before.

The three of them watched as Rachael pulled Phoenix into her compartment just as the train moved off and she kept an arm around her waist as Phoenix practically leaned out of the train window to wave goodbye to her parents and brother.

**Z is for Zodiac**

"Don't you think it's strange that your name is Scorpius and your star sign is Scorpio?" Scorpius looked up at the voice of his best friend and watched as she dropped into the seat opposite his, pushing her red curly hair away from her face and tying it at the nape of her neck into a messy ponytail.

"Not really – it's the reason why I'm called Scorpius." He told her, dipping his quill in his inkpot and writing a few more lines of his essay for Charms, not needing to refer to the book to list the effects of the cheering charm.

"I'm a Scorpio as well." Rose said out of the blue and Scorpius looked up at her through the strands of his silver hair that fell in front of his eyes.

"I know." He said slowly, confused as to why she decided to tell him something he was already aware of. "What's with all this talk of the Zodiac anyways?" He asked, pushing his parchment away from him to turn his full attention onto Rose and he couldn't help but notice that she was biting her lip, her teeth sunk into the pink flesh and he had to fight back the flare of temptation that always arose whenever he was around her.

"Oh, Lily." Rose said, rolling her eyes, "she has _Witch Weekly_ in the common room and she keeps going on and on about how your perfect partner must have the right star sign."

Scorpius couldn't help but bark a laugh at the stupidity of some girls and Rose smiled at him, her smile warming up someplace inside his stomach and making him feel content, knowing that _he'd_ been the one to pull a smile out of her. Ever since she'd found Matthew Thomas and Ellie Cartwright a few months ago, the smiles had been few and far between.

"What's our perfect Star sign then?" Scorpius asked, leaning back into his chair and crossing his legs at the ankles, his arm dropping over the back of the chair beside him.

"A Cancer or a Pisces apparently. According to Witch Weekly, Me and Matthew never worked because he's a Taurus and that's my astrological Hell."

"You and Thomas didn't work out because he's a git who doesn't deserve someone like you." He said heatedly, "he just uses sluts and whore's like Cartwright because he thinks he can."

"I know." She said softly, her hand falling gently to the table, smiling sadly.

Scorpius coughed awkwardly, uncomfortable with the silence.

"I'd watch out if I was you," Rose said, laughing lightly, "Katie is a Leo and, according to the all-knowing magazine that Lily fawns over, a Leo isn't your destiny."

His mind went to his girlfriend, the brunette Ravenclaw who was kind, funny, caring, adventurous, had a killer arm when it came to Quidditch and was an amazing kisser. "No," he said softly, "I suppose they aren't."

Maybe he was imagining the timid look down, the unsure glance in his direction, the subtle twist of her hands in her lap but he was certain that she was thinking the same thing.

He couldn't give a care to the Star Signs, but later that night he found out that two Scorpio's together were like-minded souls and he grinned to himself, chuckling as he closed his astronomy book and put it on his nightstand before closing the dark green curtains around his bed – No, a Leo wasn't his destiny he knew that much, but neither were a Cancer or a Scorpius.

He was much more interested in a Like-minded soul.

_**A/N**__: Heya! I hope you like this! It took me a long time to write this because I kept re-reading and re-writing and so-forth and I' finally happy with this :D_

_If anybody has read my KND story Famous Last Words, some of these stories are similar I'll admit and I'm sorry about that. Forgive me, please! _

_In chronological order, if you're interested, it goes: A, (E), (F), (V), M, C, H, Z, P, I, K, W, R, U, B, S, D, J, G, O, N, Q, X, Y, L and T_

_(Some of the letters and in brackets because they span through a series of time: E goes from 11 – 18, F goes from 11 – 18 and V goes from 13 – 17/18)_

_Thanks for reading!_

_Kelly _

_xxx _


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